Who is the greatest athlete activist of all time?
Some of them lost titles for it, some lost careers, one lost every endorsement she had inside a day. The price varies as much as the cause.
1Muhammad AliRefused induction into the US Army in 1967 and lost his titles and nearly four years of his prime for it.1000pts
2Arthur AsheCampaigned against apartheid, was arrested protesting it, and spent his last year on AIDS awareness.558pts
3Billie Jean KingFounded the WTA, forced the US Open into equal prize money in 1973, and kept working after being outed cost her every endorsement.499pts
4Kareem Abdul-JabbarBoycotted the 1968 Olympics, changed his name at the height of his fame, and has written on race ever since.447pts
5Curt FloodSued Major League Baseball over the reserve clause in 1970, lost, and never played again.447pts
6Jackie RobinsonBroke Major League Baseball's colour line in 1947 and spent the rest of his life on civil rights.447pts
7Martina NavratilovaCame out publicly in 1981, when almost no active superstar in any sport had, and campaigned on it for decades.446pts
8Colin KaepernickKnelt during the anthem in 2016 over police violence and has not played an NFL game since.319pts
9Tommie SmithRaised a gloved fist on the 200m podium in Mexico City in 1968 and was expelled from the Games for it.240pts
10Simone BilesTestified to the US Senate about the Nassar abuse and withdrew mid-Olympics over her own health.240pts
11Megan RapinoeLed the US women's team's equal-pay case against its own federation and won a settlement in 2022.240pts
12Naomi OsakaWore seven masks at the 2020 US Open and later forced a conversation about athletes and press obligations.41pts
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